My vote is for Ballam. He seemed more articulate in his evil. I especially loved the part where he threatens the temple patrons who don't walk up to all their covenants. It was definitely the highlight of the whole movie.

My roommate in the MTC, right before her mission, attended a fireside where Ballam spoke. He said before he filmed the temple movie, he prayed to know what Satan was really like so he could portray him accurately. Ballam said it was terrifying.

Now I don't personally believe in a Satan, per se, although I do agree there is evil. Ballam caught that sense of evil much better than Yeager, who always looked like a campy frat boy portraying a Monte Python character IMO.

Michael Balam is so played - he is practically singing his part. Darryl Yeager is by far the best. He immerses himself in the role and with Michael it is all about him. Please bring back Darryl Yeager. I want to enjoy the film again. Right now it is just painful.

I was so bored out of my mind for most of that movie I was HOPING Ballam was going to break into song. SweetMormonJesus that would have been a respite from the "WTH?WTH?WTH?WTH?WTH?" track playing over and over and over in my head.

Ballam was campy good. I needed that, especially since I had the misfortune of going through right before they changed the ceremony in 1990. Yay me! I got to pantomime slitting my own throat and disemboweling myself. Good times!

It wasn't long after that we saw Ballam in "The Pantom of the Opera." At the curtain call, I said to then-hubs, "That guy looks like Satan in the <whispering> temple movie." He said, "That's because he IS." Yes, we spoke of the temple not just outside the temple but surrounded by unwashed Hollywood heathens, even the Gentiles...oh, and enemies of the church--intellectuals, feminists, homosexuals, and show people.

Michael Ballam made me want to be bad. I wanted to rule and reign with blood and terror.

Seriously, by the time I saw him in the temple movie I didn't really believe anymore anyway so I just laughed under my breath at his theatrics...but he has my vote for the best temple movie Satan.

OTOH I remember going through pre-movie and we had some pretty good Lucifers from our local temple workers. One of my favorites was a grade school teacher of mine who I didn't care for as a teacher. It cracked me up seeing him up there as the devil. Crappy teacher = Lucifer. Made sense to me.

I can so relate.Simone Stigmata Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> Michael Ballam made me want to be bad. I wanted to> rule and reign with blood and terror.>> Seriously, by the time I saw him in the temple> movie I didn't really believe anymore anyway so I> just laughed under my breath at his> theatrics...but he has my vote for the best temple> movie Satan.>> OTOH I remember going through pre-movie and we had> some pretty good Lucifers from our local temple> workers. One of my favorites was a grade school> teacher of mine who I didn't care for as a> teacher. It cracked me up seeing him up there as> the devil. Crappy teacher = Lucifer. Made sense to> me.

Coincidentally, today, someone submitted this tidbit that I will add to the page later.

"Interesting fact: Bruce Newbold is James in the movie with the "Blonde Eve". His voice was dubbed over Adam's voice in the other movie. Listen closely if you can catch the two versions. I was told by a source that the Adam in the other version just didn't have the right voice. So they used Bruck Newbold's voice as Adam and dubbed it over the other guy's voice who played Adam.

FYI...Bruce Newbold has been in numerous LDS films. Look him up" - by gromm

I lived in wonderful Cache Valley. When I quit believing, I found it hilarious that my dad knew where Michael Ballam lived and would always say, "There's the devil's house." It still cracks me up and it's been 15 years plus years.

Brother Jacobsen, the 80-something guy in the SLC temple who would forget his lines and had accidentally wiped a booger across his lapel. He would try to cry out in his raspy voice "Now is the day of my power!" or whatever that line is. As a devil he didn't scare me much but he was entertaining.

Does anyone remember how God and Jesus showed up in an elevator? Priceless. It could only have been better with a Stairway to Heaven.